Installing lighting in a hallway with stretch ceilings

Lighting in the hallway should be thought through, taking into account the peculiarities of the use of the room, its size and height of the ceilings. To provide quality light, to emphasize the advantages and disadvantages of the corridor, it is worth using a few simple tricks. It is also important to understand what lights are best suited for a suspended ceiling and how best to place them.

In a stretch ceiling is convenient to put recessed lights.

The specifics of the hallway and the requirements for light in it

Vestibule - one of the most difficult rooms in the apartment for the organization of lighting. This is due to the lack of natural light, the small area and the non-standard shape, which is often in apartment buildings. At the same time, the lighting must provide good visibility and emphasize the interior to make it more attractive. The requirements for light are as follows:

1. The standard of illumination is. At least 50 lux in the darkest part of the room. But in practice it is better to make the light brighter, because in the hallway you need good visibility. It is important that the light is distributed evenly, so the chandelier is only suitable for a square corridor, in an elongated solution would be wall or point lamps.
2. The light should be diffused, not hitting the eyes and do not create too bright areas, which will be uncomfortable.
3. There should not be a big difference in brightness between the corridor and adjoining rooms.
4. You can direct the light flow upwards to illuminate the hallway due to reflected light. This solution is suitable if the fixtures are without plafonds, and can blind a person.
5. Special attention should be paid to the space near the mirror. People should see themselves well before going out.
6. It is best to use a warm, diffused light. It transmits colors well and does not distort them, and creates a comfortable environment.
   It is convenient to put recessed lights in a stretch ceiling.
7. For convenience in a long corridor, it is better to put switches on both sides. Then you won't have to constantly go to the entrance to turn off the lights.
8. The style of lighting fixtures should match the design of the corridor.

The best way to illuminate the hallway in an apartment or house is to use LED lamps. They consume little electricity and allow you to save money.

Methods used in corridor lighting

To ensure that the lights installed in the suspended ceiling, gave the best effect, it is worth using a few simple recommendations. They allow you to improve the lighting and make the hallway cozier and more comfortable:

1. Instead of the usual switches, you can put motion or sound sensors. Then the light will turn on when a person appears, and automatically turn off after 20-30 seconds, which is very convenient.
2. To visually expand a narrow corridor, it is worth using bright reflected light. Fixtures are placed either on the ceiling or on the wall, and the light flux is reflected from the surface, increasing the space.
3. If the ceiling is high, you can use wall lights to shade the upper part and make the room lower. In this case, they should be placed at a height of about two meters to provide quality lighting.
4. More often than not, instead of one powerful lamp use several small. This provides an even distribution of light and allows you to adjust the location under the hallway of any size and shape.
5. If there are niches, you can illuminate them with built-in equipment to draw attention to this element of the furnishings.

Fixtures in a row - a fashionable modern solution.

By the way! To expand space and improve lighting, you can use mirrors of large size, they can cover the entire wall. But in this case, it is important that no directional light falls on the surface, as it will give glare and create discomfort for vision.

Variants of lighting the corridor with a stretch ceiling

It is better to use glossy stretched fabrics. They will not only make the light in the corridor brighter due to the reflective properties, but will visually increase the space. As for the options, they are as follows:

1. For square and rectangular rooms, a chandelier with several plafonds will be suitable. It is better if it will give bright diffused light. The number of branches is selected for the area, the light should not be too much. Another option is light panelwhich can have a different shape and provides soft lighting of the desired color temperature.
2. If the hallway is small or has an elongated shape, point lights are used. They can be arranged in one or two rows, it all depends on the width of the room. The minimum distance to the wall should be at least 20 cmand between adjacent lamps 30 cm or more, it all depends on the power of the equipment.
3. For large rooms, you can use the arrangement of lights in staggered order, it improves the illumination and allows you to achieve a good effect. In narrow hallways are often used a variant with a diagonal arrangement, it allows you to use fewer light sources and save money.
   Diagonal arrangement is suitable for narrow corridors.
4. A good solution would be a two-level design, in which the perimeter can be put LED stripto provide even illumination. When constructing complex systems, it is worth thinking in advance what kind of equipment is more suitable and where to place it.
5. For the body of the lamp to fit under the canvas, it should be stretched with at least 7 cm indent from the ceiling, but it is better if the space is 10 cm. When selecting products take into account this point, so as not to buy too large options. Read more about the size of the fixtures read here.
6. Canvas does not tolerate a lot of heat, so you should not use lights with incandescent lamps. Options with halogen light sources are also undesirable, although they can be used with proper installation and the use of light sources of low power. LED light bulbs are best, as they heat up less and do not harm the stretch ceilings.
7. When installing special rings are used. They are pre-glued, and then cut the canvas inside. As a result, the material does not tear and normally withstand loads. It is necessary to pre-fix special brackets or homemade variants from hangers to fix the lights. And under the chandelier you may need a special construction or cross bracket.

It is necessary to choose the type of lighting and the location of the fixtures in advance to pull through and secure the wiring before installing the suspended ceiling. It is best to use copper cable, the cross section should be chosen according to the capacity of the equipment, the ceiling mounted in any way to ensure a secure fit.

Read also

Types of lights for suspended ceilings - how to choose the right one

 

Lighting schemes, light zoning

To ensure that the light in the hallway with stretch ceilings was even, you need to choose the right layout of equipment and highlight individual zones if necessary. A few tips:

1. It is better to combine general and local lighting. Therefore it is necessary to think in advance about the functional zones, to illuminate them correctly.
2. The area in front of the entrance is the first zone, it should provide convenience when dressing. If the mirror is not located near the entrance, it should also be illuminated to ensure good visibility. It may be necessary to illuminate the closet, dressing table and other objects, if any.
3. If the room is large, you can use a chandelier in the middle and spotlights along the walls. This eliminates poorly lit areas and provides even lighting.
4. If it is difficult to determine the position of fixtures in a long narrow corridor, you can use a modern solution - a track system. In this case, you can put the plafond in any place and adjust its position. It is important that if necessary, you can add several lights or remove them.
5. When using only spotlights, determine their location in advance. To do this, draw a diagram with dimensions and distances between the equipment.

Track systems allow you to adjust the light flux at your discretion.

Read also

Calculating the number of spotlights for stretch ceilings

 

At the end of the video: Proper lighting of a small hallway.

Making good lighting in a hallway with a suspended or stretch ceiling is not difficult, because it can build in spotlights and attach traditional chandeliers. The main thing is to choose equipment with suitable parameters and and the correct positioning it in the room.